War Stories
by Richie Creek
Summary: The world is a cruel and harsh place. One man stands against the world and immerses himself into the depths of horror to try and save it. With the help of the "Marked" and a few unlikely Legends Less Edda faces terrorists and titans in a desperate attempt to redeem his soul. Being the harbinger of the embodiment of Death though has its own challenges.


A/N

So I'm just a bored deployed soldier and this is my first Fan Fic so take it easy on me. That being said I hope you enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon just my OC's

Heels clicked loudly on the floor as Sarah Simpson walked briskly toward the large steel door at the end of the hall. The brunet clutched her old note book tight in her hands as feelings of trepidation swelled within her. She paused at the door, taking a deep breath she pushed up her rimless glasses and nodded to the armed guards outside the door. It was a barren concrete room, windowless and a stark contrast from the rest of the beauty and architecture that was Indigo Plato. The center of the Pokémon league had many such rooms as this one from the times before separation of the government and the league. Back when the word of the Champion was law. In the middle of the room was a large metal desk with two matching chairs. Chained by his wrist to the desk was the man she had been sent to interview.

The story of Less Edda was a complex one which is why Sarah couldn't believe that she had been given the task of interviewing him and from the Pokémon Master no less. Some people considered Less to be a monster responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people and Pokémon while others saw him as the savior of Kanto. Less watched the young reporter enter the room with scowl on his face, his piercing green eyes seeming to belong to someone much older than the 26 year old. Sarah looked him over. A little under six feet in height and well-muscled it was clear he lived a physical life. He had short brown hair in a military cut and his face was covered in a thick, neat beard.

"Good after noon Mr. Edda" she said trying to break the ice and get a read on her subject.

"If you don't mind I would prefer to skip the pleasantries. I've been briefed about what's going on here and I have a trial to prepare for"

Sarah furrowed her brow in thought. "Well then how about you inform me as to why we are both here because all I know is that I'm supposed to interview you. Which came as a pretty big surprise to me especially considering who the request came from?

With that Less let a slight smirk crack his dispassionate mask of a face "I'm sure it was a shock considering that most people think Red is a mute, but I think our great Pokémon master just lacks the people skills to have real conversations". Sarah was slightly taken aback by less' casual tone in which he talked about the Pokémon Master. As head of the Pokémon League across all the regions Master Red was arguably the most powerful person on the planet, even the regional champions had to abide by his decisions.

"You could say the conversation was lacking on filler for sure. The way you speak of him makes it sound like you are close with Master Red."

"I've worked more closely with red then anyone since he decided to come down from his damned mountain and grace us all with his presence. Which I guess leads me to why you are here. The whole reason that I am in this situation is because I was following orders directly from Red". Sarah couldn't hide her shock at this. To think the Red would order an operation that caused so much pain and suffering was hard to believe. She quickly opened her trusty note book and started taking notes.

"So you are telling me that your infiltration of Kanto and guerrilla war against Team Rocket was all sanctioned by the Pokémon League?" At this Less gave Sarah a sideways look and attempted to cross his arms across his broad chest before realizing that he was still chained to the desk.

"No obviously the League didn't sanction any of this or I wouldn't be on trial. This whole operation was strictly at the request of Red which is why you are here. If I get convicted of war crimes and it somehow comes out that Red was involved he will lose his position as champion and wind up on death row with me. As much as I would enjoy the company us both winding up dead would put a damper on his plans for the League."

The young reporter looked up from her note book when the realization hit her "So since trials like this are often heavily swayed by public opinion I'm assuming he wants me to write a story that makes you more likeable to the people".

"A daunting task indeed, I've been told imp not the most likeable person in the world."

"So how exactly am I supposed to go about completing this daunting task?"

"I don't have a clue I thought you were supposed to be the expert"

Sarah glared at Less "You know I could say no and not help you at all so how about you stop being an asshole and we can maybe get somewhere." Less let out a short laugh "ha i guess I can see why Red chose you to do this for what it's worth I'm sorry. I'm a lot like Red in the people skills department and given the situation I'm in I hope you can understand my short attitude. Your right though you don't have to be here. So in your professional opinion how can we go about making someone like me more likable?" Sarah starting chewing on the end of her pen deep in thought

"How about we just start from the beginning, if i can get a feel for your life and what led you to the events in Kanto i can probably put out a story that could help".

"Alright but it's a long story."

"I don't have anywhere else to be."

In an adjacent room two people were watching the interview through a one way mirror. "Well this is going about how I expected it to. I can't believe you choose her for this job." Said a fiery orange haired woman to the silent man in red next to her.

The man gazed at her from under the bill of his hat "She was there Misty. She is the only one that can write this story from the point of view of a Kanto native that witnessed the events. Those are the people we are trying to sway." He turned his crimson eyes to the Cerulean City Gym leader who meet gaze with one full of worry and sadness. "I know, I know but I just wish she had more experience. This is Less' life at stake here and I don't know what I will do if this all goes south." In a rare show of affection Red placed a hand on Misty's shoulder "Don't worry Mist it will be alright, I won't let anything happen to him. I owe him that much at least." With a slight nod of her head Misty looked back to the interrogation room.

"So I guess it all started back in Johto, where I was born. I don't remember much because my family left when I was very young. At that time the Great War between Kanto and Johto was coming to its climax. My father was a bit of a war hero back in the day. With his Tyranitar at his side, he and his small Special Forces group did massive damage to Kanto forces in many different engagements. After the cease fire though my father was worried that my mother and me would be targeted so he moved us as far away as possible which is how we ended up in Kalos."

"So when you joined the military were you following in your father's footsteps?"

"Actually at that time i had no idea that my father was part of the Johotian Military, Him and my mother fought against my decision to join the military every step of the way. They wanted me to work with my dad at his breeding center but i guess war is just in my blood."

Sarah though for a moment "So your dad went from being a war hero to a Pokémon breeder? Seems like a pretty far jump to me."

"I think my dad just got sick of ending life and wanted to do something to help create it. Seeing people die is never bothered him but seeing innocent Pokémon be slaughtered for the ideals of man is what got to him. Now he is one of the foremost breeders in Kalos and he is especially known for his racing Pigeots.

"I suppose that is where you got yours from then huh?"

A small smile creped across his face as he thought about his first Pokémon "yup my dad gave me her when i was 10 and she has been my faithful companion ever since".

"So tell me about your time in the military. Some war stories might really help us sell you to the public."

Less threw his head back in the chair and let out an exasperated sigh. "You want war stories huh? My whole life feels like a fucking war story. When I turned 16 I applied for the Kalos Military College. While most kids my age where having there grandiose day dreams of going on there first adventure as a Pokémon trainer and getting there first gym badge I decided I was actually going to do something that might help the people and Pokémon of my country".

"But the Licensed Trainer program is a key part of our defense against wild Pokémon attacks and natural disasters. The Rangers are far too few in number to take care of every problem that arises" Sarah shot back at Less' last statement.

"While that may have been true when the program was originally created any more it is just a way to create revenue for the regional Leagues. They sell the dream of being a Pokémon master and "Catching'em All" to kids who have no idea what they are getting themselves into. Said 16 year olds run off without proper training or knowledge and start challenging every other trainer they see. They are more worried about the fame then doing what Trainers where originally meant to do. Worst of all their Pokémon are the ones that really suffer from their incompetence".

Sarah "Well how about we focus more about you and less about attacking a huge group of people that we are trying to get to like you"?

"...Fine i guess. Anyways I was accepted into the Military College and quickly made a name for myself. One day I was approached by a Special Forces recruiter and jumped at the opportunity. After going through selection I was chosen and sent to special forces training. Then at the ripe old age of 20 I was promoted to Sergeant and placed on a LRRS team".

"What exactly is a LRRS team"?

"You don't have any experience with military reporting do you"?

"To be honest I don't have much experience period" Sarah said with a sheepish grin.

Less let out another sigh "Great... I'll make this third grade level then. LRRS stands for long range recon and surveillance. Basically we are the people that go out into the wilds to obtain natural resource pockets, secure more land for regional expansion and make sure large groups of pure wild Pokémon stay away from population centers".

"Pure wild Pokémon?"

"Yeah they are the Pokémon parents tell their children about to scare them into being good. Sure a wild Bouffalant stampede will do a lot of damage but the Pokémon that are in the safe zones that make up the regions are mostly low level and wary of humans. The ones outside the borders though are true monster and will kill you without a second thought."

"If it's so dangerous then why do it then?"

"Did you know that humans only occupy about 12 percent of the Earth? Back before the dark ages humans used to cover the planet. Some people may think it's a myth but I've seen the ruins of our ancient ancestors myself. Yes they were ignorant of the environment and almost destroyed the Earth, but I would like to think that we won't make the same mistakes as them. Also if it wasn't for people securing areas in the wild the regions we would never obtain enough resources to live."

"Ok so you are driven by the need to help with the greater good of your nation. That is definitely something we can use. Tell me about your first mission in the LRRS team"?

At this Less dropped his head slightly "My first mission huh? Now there is a war story for you."

FLASH BACK

A low flying helicopter crested the hills just south of the Kalos boarder. It was just before dawn on the cool autumn day as the 12 man team made there silent insertion into the wilds. "Alright pop and drop boys I want full 360 security, team leaders ensure everyone is good to roll it's going to be a hell of a hike". Low acknowledgments came through Captain Rich's ear piece as his LRRS squad went into action. Pokémon were released from pokeballs and the men got in good concealed positions awaiting the order to move. "Edda I want you at the 12 o'clock with that spike gun."

"Roger that Sir" the young Sergeant said a little too enthusiastically as he moved to the front of the formation carrying the squads heavy weapon. The military designation for it was the Compressed Air Anti-Material Laucher or CAAM-L for short (pronounced Cammel). Firing large spikes powered by massive amounts of compressed air the 30 plus pound rifle could stop a rampaging Garydos. The fact that he was caring the heavy weapon and his very in regulation hair cut made Less stand out as the new guy on the squad.

"Easy swinging that thing around there new guy, that ammo is sensitive" Staff Sergeant Hobes said as Less plopped down next to him at the front of the formation.

After a short time the squad picked up and started there 10 mile hike to the objective. The sun was cresting the rolling hills about 45 minutes into their hike granting them their first good look at their surroundings. Rocky rolling hills with sparse thorn filled vegetation for as far as the eye could see. Less looked up into the clear blue sky and saw his prized Pigeot circling overhead. His anxieties eased slightly knowing she was keeping an eye on him.

"That sure is one hell of a bird you have their Edda" Sergeant First Class Wade said breaking the silence of the morning. "She's been with me ever since I can remember, I don't know what I'd do without her" Less said glancing at the ancient Blastoise that was flanking the senior Sergeant. "Though I'm sure you know how that it is huh Sergeant"? SFC Wade laughed and patted the scared shell of his Blastoies "I sure as hell do Edda. Old Glory Lead here has been with me since i was a little shitten private and he was an even littler shitten squirtle. What else you got with you Edda"? Less slung the CAMM-L and unclipped a great ball off the front of his assault vest. "I just have my Ferroseed with me but I figured he is more than a match for any of the ground or rock types we are likely to see out here". SSG Hobes snorted at Less' comment "great the new guy is figuring. Listen kid you have no idea how bad the Monsters are out here. If you don't figure out real quick you and your seed pod are going to end up food". "Can the shit you two the last thing we need right now is attracting some Onyx while we are out here in the open." "Roger Sir!" The two soldiers said in unison and continued there long walk to the objective".

As far as objectives go this one was rather un-remarkable. It was a decent size Mountain but given the terrain those were a dime a dozen. For whatever reason the egg heads in the geological department decided that this area had a rich Iron vein running through it. It was the Teams mission to give the area an initial check for validity and secure it. After any major threats were removed a larger force of conventional troops would be sent in to hold the area until the mining rights could be sold to a private company. That was the plan anyways.

"All right boys drop off any non-essential equipment down here. Brown and Jones you are staying here with the Commander to set up base camp. The rest of us are going to clear this side of the mountain." SFC Wade continued to bark orders preparing the weary soldiers for the ardors climb up the mountain. Less decided now would be a good of time as any to release his Ferroseed from its pokeball.

Standing at about waist height to Less and weighing in at around 300 pounds the iron seed like Pokémon seemed to be close to evolving. "Alright buddy you ready for our first mission?" Ferroseed made a grunting sound from inside its metal covered body that Less took as a yes and it started moving up the side of the mountain in an awkward rolling fashion. "You Sure that big bastard is going to make it all the way to the top Less?" Asked one of the team. "Well if he doesn't I'll just have Pigeott carry him, a 300 hundred pound hunk of metal and leaves falling from a thousand feet would probably take care of anything we could run into on this mountain." Everyone gave a short laugh at the thought of a Ferroseed high altitude bomb. "I'm joking you know." Less said at his visibly upset Pokémon.

"Glory Lead hydro pump!" At his trainers command the ancient Blastoise unleashed a high pressure jet of water pulverizing the group of Graveler and Geodude that attacked them. "I sure thought we would see more action on this mission." SFC Wade said with a hint worry in his voice. They had spent the last half hour clearing the side of the mountain encountering nothing stronger than Sudowoodo. SSG Hobes opened his mouth to form a smart ass reply when the mountain started to violently shake. He let out a scream as a fissure opened up beneath him and he fell into the inky heart of the mountain. The look of horror on Hobes' Face was burned into Less' brain and he stood gaping in shock.

His fellow team members rushed to the edge of the fissure staring hopelessly down at their fallen comrade some 30 feet below. "Hey Hobbes can you hear me?" Said SFC Wade. "That's a hell of a fall he's probably unconscious. At least I hope he is" Wade looked at Less who still stood motionless. "Alright kid time to earn your pay. Get that potted plant of yours over here and let's go get our man. Everyone else get in touch with the CO and prepare to treat the casualty. He's going to need an immediate medevac out of here." Less snapped out of his shock and let his training kick in.

"Alright Ferroseed time to go to work. Get dug in to that boulder over there next to the opening." Ferroseed let out a grunt of acknowledgment and rolled over to the boulder less was pointing to. SFC Wade recalled glory lead and placed its ball on his hip. "Alright I'm going down first and then you follow after me. Make sure you grab the rest of the ammo for that CAMM-L. This whole dam mountain looks like its hollow and I only know a couple things that could do that. None of which I really feel like dealing with."

Ferroseed dug its sharp spikes into the boulder next to the opening in the mountain, released its fines from inside its armored body and wrapped them around SFC Wade. "Alright easy does it, if i tug on your vine 3 times yank me the hell out of there." Ferroseed nodded to Wade and started lowering him into the mountain. He was on the ground in less than a minute an immediately started checking his surroundings for danger. "Alright Edda come on down and pull security while i treat Hobes." Less let out the breath he was holding "Go time bud" he then grabbed the vine and jumped into the Blackness.

The empty cavern that was the center of the mountain extended far beyond what the sliver of light he was being lowered through would illuminate. Less noticed the smooth cavern walls and was perplexed as to what could possibly do this to a mountain when a red beam of energy shot passed his face severing the thin vine that he was holding on to.

"Oh Shi...Guh!" Less fell the remaining 15 feet landing straight on his back.

He came to a few seconds later to the sound of screaming.

"Get the fuck up kid, we need to get out of here now" SFC said as he was directing his Blastoise and Hitmonchan fighting an unknown enemy.

Less groggily rose from his back. He was having hard time breathing. Probably a couple broken rips.

"Just breathe Less, cant die down in this fucking hole on your first mission. You'll never live that one down" Less thought to himself as he was finally able to get a grasp on the situation. The cavern was being flooded with walking rocks

"Roggenrola shit, if they're here that means that... yup we're fucked" Less looked behind the small rock Pokémon to see their much larger and more deadly evolutions a short way behind them. A handful of Boldore and a few Gigaliths, all an all it was a lot of power coming down on 3 Injured Soldiers.

"Hitmonchan use Brick Break on the big bastards in the back. Glory Lead Water pulse on the Ragnarolla!" SFC Wade Commanded. The humanoid Pokémon jumped high into the air clearing the hoard of smaller Pokémon to deliver a vicious blow to one of the Boldore coming up behind them. The chest high Pokémon was split clear in half by the power of the attack. At the same time Glory Lead released a devastating water pulse obliterating the swarm of smaller rock Pokémon.

"Throw me down a stretcher now! We need to get Hobes packaged and get the fuck out of here." Less screamed to the rest of the team still above ground. He made it to Hobes and started assessing his injuries. "Unresponsive, uneven hips, contorted back, fuck sergeant his back is broken possibly his hips too."

"No shit kid he feel thir...Targets at our 6. Blast those fuckers."

Less wiped around instantly shouldering the huge CAMM-L, the pain in his already broken ribs combined with the hellacious recoil from the air driven rounds didn't even cross Less' mind as he fired off the five round magazine. The first two rounds ripped the Gigalith charging another Powered Gem attack in half while the last three dispatched three Boldore quickly trying to flank the soldiers.

"Reloading!" Less shouted trying to free the spent magazine from the weapon. The magazine was jammed though and the Roggenrola were converging on Hobes' prone form. "Cover your eyes it's about get bright in here. Ferroseed Mirror Shot!" At its trainer command Ferroseed contracted the metal bands that covered its body, storing the energy that it would need for the attack. It then released the stored steel energy into the cavern. Thin beams of silvery light flooded into the cavern blasting chunks off of the larger rock Pokémon and pulverizing the Roggenrola circling less. It also gave the two trapped men their first look at what they were facing. There were thousands of the rock Pokémon converging on them. They had hallowed out the entire mountain searching for the minerals that they feed on.

"An entire mountain full, we are going to die down here"

Time seemed to stand still as the hoard of Pokémon still recovered from the violent flash of light.

"Alright screw the stretcher Edda we are getting the hell out of here"

"Yeah good call Sergeant. Ferro throw down a vine! The Pokémon quickly threw down another vine and wrapped it around Hobes' body. Within seconds the unconscious soldier was back to the surface. Then the mountain came to life. Recovering from there daze all of the wild Pokémon attack at once. First to come was the hail of rocks being thrown while other's charged up more powerful attacks. Less and SFC Wade quickly dove behind boulders for cover.

"Alright Edda I'm going to provide covering fire while you get the hell out of here!"

Before Less could reply a massive Gigalith standing over 8 feet tall released a close range Stone Edge attack aimed straight at him.

"Glory Rapid Spin!" At the command the Pokémon withdrew into its shell intercepted the Stone Edge. "Now Hitmanchan Mega Punch that SOB." Like a flash the fighting Pokémon materialized next to the behemoth Gigalith. Fist aglow with energy the Hitmanchan punched the rock Pokémon in the chest and threw it back twenty feet, crushing some of its smaller brethren as it fell.

Wade started running towards Less though the sheer wall of rocks, firing his auto loading crossbow as he ran. "Get moving soldier!" He said as he grabbed Less by the collar and threw him back towards the opening just as a large piece of the celling came crashing down on the spot Less had just been sitting. He never got to thank SFC Wade though. As Less righted himself from the fall he saw a flash of red light heading straight for the seasoned soldier. The Power gem attacked connected with the older man's upper torso and disintegrated it. A mixture of blood and dust rained down on Less

"Baptism in blood"

The thought came uninhibited to his mind. The horror of the situation didn't affect him. In fact he felt a sense of calm that he hadn't felt before in his life time.

"Violence of action"

Less rolled to the CAMM-L that was lying on the ground, after quickly freeing the jammed magazine he loaded a fresh one and went to work.

"2 shots left, three enemies to close for comfort"

Luckily Wade's Pokémon enraged at their trainers death were now on the war path. With one Skull Bash Glory Lead took out all three of the Boldore that were closing in on Less. It was hopeless though, soon all three of them would be crushed under the sheer number of Pokémon they faced.

"Glory, Hitmonchan we need to fall back!" Less called to the Pokémon. The ancient Blastoise just shook his huge head. Less then noticed the pokeball in its hands.

"Glory what are you doing?"

Glory Lead managed to press the button on the ball returning Hitmonchan to its safety, he then handed it to Less.

"I don't understand we need to work together if we are going to survive this!" The old Pokémon looked at Less with what could only be sadness in its eyes. With one of its mighty forelimbs it grabbed Less and threw him straight up into the waiting vines of Ferroseed. As he was raised to safety less watched in horror as Glory Lead was overwhelmed. He couldn't watch what happened next.

As soon as Less cleared the lip of the crack he lost his battle calm. Tears flowed freely as he was place on a litter next to Hobes.

"Don't worry kid the bird will be here in no time to get you out of here, we just have to get off of this dam mountain first." The squad member that was near the head of his litter kept talking to Less but he tuned him out. The pain was too great, physically and emotionally. Less kept a tight grip on Hitmonchan's ball.

"They died to save me."

"Why wasn't it me?"

"I don't deserve to Live!"


End file.
